Short Mystery Collection

One town. Two leading ladies. More magic than you can shake a wand at. Welcome back to Beechwood Harbor. Betwixt is a collection of the in-between. Catch up with Holly and Scarlet in these stories of the mischief and mayhem they get themselves into while you wait for the next full-length novel.

Leah has spent her formative years isolated on a remote island with her family. But their quiet existence, far from the devastated mainland, is cracking. Father, sensing a coming threat, demands that a wall be built. As the stone blockade rises, Father’s paranoia escalates. So does Leah’s dread that the violence the family left behind has found its way to their sanctuary.

Thirty-four years ago, on October 31, poor Hannah Talbott took part in a scavenger hunt gone violently wrong. The mean girls made sure of it. To this day, for a haunted local mother, the most unsettling Halloween costume of all is an urban legend they call Hannah-Beast. It’s a reminder of the past she can’t forget. Especially tonight when it’s come back, so close to home.

In his introduction, guest editor S. A. Cosby observes that writing short stories is “a special skill that combines brevity with wit and cleverness and the hint of the existential malaise that imbues crime fiction with its gravitas.” The stories in this collection overflow with gravitas in the most unexpected ways: a cryptic note left on a windshield, a murder for hire meets a game of Mouse Trap, a swipe right on a dating app goes horribly wrong.

Secrets buried in gardens, courtrooms, and memory. A skeleton appears where flowers once grew. A stolen heirloom sets off a chain of revenge. A quiet man carries a guilt he can no longer silence. Historical mysteries, quiet crimes, and hidden reckonings—each story reveals more than meets the eye. In this collection of twist-filled short stories, ordinary lives conceal extraordinary truths. From a long-buried secret unearthed in a quiet garden to moral reckonings in distant courtrooms, each tale blends mystery, memory, and consequence. A missing skeleton surfaces in The Gardener’s Secret...

Maxine was made to do one thing: die. Except the minor non-player character in the world Riley is building makes her own impossible decision - veering wildly off course and exploring the boundaries of the map. When the curious Riley extracts her code for closer examination, an emotional relationship develops between them. Soon Riley has all new plans for her spontaneous AI, including bringing Max into the real world. But what if Max has real-world plans of her own?

She married for money. She plotted for more. But the insurance policy had other ideas... Chantel Fletcher’s specialty is husbands. Her problem is cash. When her third husband turns out to be worth $2.5 million dead, she makes the leap from trophy wife to cold-blooded conspirator. With a mountain of debt and a dangerous past catching up to her, Chantel enlists her teenage daughter and a dim-witted ex-con to help pull the trigger on the perfect murder. But this is St. Isidore—a town that chews up second chances and spits out twisted endings. And when the cops come knocking, Chantel ...

The sinking of the Brig Minerva results in many deaths, while for others, the future is suddenly brighter. But it’s not always easy to leave the past behind. Nell Caldicott awaits the return of her violent sailor husband with trepidation, but for once her fears are not realized. When Caroline Milburn and her younger sisters' previously unknown grandfather drowns and bequeaths them a cottage in the country, their lives seem set to improve. A man turned away by Annie Dresden's father years ago for lack of fortune is unexpectedly wealthy after his brother's drowning.

Spanning from a mediocre spa in Florida, to New York’s gritty East Village, to death row in Alabama, this collection reveals boundless suspense in small, quiet moments, offering startling twists in the least likely of places. From a powerful response to hateful bullying, to a fight for health care, to a gripping desperation to vote, these stories are equal parts shocking, devastating, and enthralling, revealing the tension pulsing through our everyday lives and affirming that mystery and suspense writing is better than ever before.

This bundle includes Basil of Baker Street, Basil and the Cave of Cats, Basil in Mexico, and Basil in the Wild West.

An eclectic collection of short stories from 21 noted authors that covers basically ever genre and writing style imaginable. From romance to sci-fi, mystery to slice of life, and even a few ducks and cows thrown in for a mixed bag of fun story-telling. So if you need something to read on a hot summer day or a cold winter night, this is just the place to come to forget your worries and be swept away into other worlds and the imagination of 21 writers - from pro to first timers. Come enjoy the Big and Small of Us All.

Miss Phryne Fisher is up to her stunning green eyes in intriguing crime in each of these entertaining, fun and compulsively listenable stories. With the ever-loyal Dot, the ingenious Mr Butler and all of Phryne's friends and household, the action is as fast as Phryne's wit and logic.

Josephine Ying longs to overthrow Big Uncle as the best host, and after his roast duck incident, she’s finally getting her chance this Chinese New Year. Even better, her son is bringing a surprise. Unfortunately, the surprise turns out to be a gold-digging fiancée—who dies at the dinner table. Her problems just got a lot bigger than hosting the perfect meal. Certain there’s a killer at the table, Josephine sharpens her questions to find them out.

This collection of recordings about Brother Cadfael—a Benedictine monk and amateur sleuth in the 12th century—are performed here by the ideal actor. Sir Derek Jacobi, who portrayed Cadfael in several television adaptations, captivates listeners with his renderings of Monk's Hood, Saint Peter's Fair, The Heretic's Apprentice, The Potter's Field, The Summer of the Danes, and Brother Cadfael's Penance.

It’s business as usual on the set of another cheap sword-and-sandal production by Pharos Pictures—until the lead actress suddenly falls into a deep, mysterious sleep. Jordan Harper can talk down high-strung starlets and knock sense into stuntmen, but this…this is the kind of uncanny problem that he’d usually bring to Mrs. Hope. Unfortunately, the preternaturally capable secretary is on a business trip with the studio head. Harper must get to the bottom of the mystery on his own before another cast member succumbs—or worse, they blow the budget.

A million problems arise when trying to flip a crumbling old Victorian. But Lyda, a newbie seller, and Dani, a TikTok-trained home stager, are fixated on one: the dead landscaper in the bedroom. The notorious lothario was one of many last-minute contractors swarming around, and now every jilted lover and business competitor is a suspect. It’s up to Lyda and Dani to close the case before the open house.

2 Complete Series Sweet Western Romance collection in one boxed set! Grab your spyglass and catch the train to Colorado, for a crazy adventure. Meet Amelia, Bradley Walker and all them friend as we delve into this mystery, and continue The unknown challenges of southeast Oklahoma Territory in the late 1800s test the faith, grit, and determination of three sisters relying on their hopes of finding true love as they travel westward as mail-order brides. Unforeseen challenges confront them every step of the way - from the Jesse James gang to the challenges of the rugged wilderness. Journey ...

Ryn Tilley came to the desert to paint in solitude away from the city art scene she had come to despise, and to escape from the memory of the man who broke her heart and betrayed her trust. Remote, vast and quiet, Ryn’s refuge was perfect – but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing. That is until a mysterious stranger, dehydrated and lost in the desert, stumbled into her life. Daggen Trys shouldn’t be on Earth, and he especially shouldn’t be lying unconscious in the bed of this beautiful human female. Interaction with humans is strictly forbidden in his mission...

Get ready for seven electrifying short stories that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. In "Family Meeting," a college student calls her parents in a desperate bid for help—only it’s a matter of life and death. "New Year, New Me... Now What?" follows a woman willing to go to any lengths to reinvent herself for the man she’s obsessed with, but at what cost? "If You're Reading This Letter" tells the heart-wrenching story of a young man who must convince a stranger—and himself—that he deserves to die before he can take his own life.

It had been a typical New Year's Eve party. But as midnight approaches, Mr. Satterthwaite - a keen observer of human nature - senses that the real drama of the evening is yet to unfold. And so it proves when a mysterious stranger knocks on the door. Who is this Mr. Quin? Mr. Satterthwaite's new friend is an enigma. He seems to appear and disappear almost like a trick of the light. In fact, the only consistent thing about him is that his presence is always an omen - sometimes good, but sometimes deadly....